"They had mentioned something about leaving City No. 18 to lay low before, but I didn't expect them to depart so soon," Qing Chen said, frowning.
Moreover, the dozens of vehicles at the immigration checkpoint must belong to the Freemasonry.
As the group of students waited for clearance, many of them got out of their cars and chatted with relaxed expressions, as if they were going on an excursion.
Qing Chen thought that this wasn't really a problem, in fact. If the convoy had experts to ensure their safety, as long as they didn't venture into area No. 002, the Taboo Land, there indeed wouldn't be much danger in theory.
The students from Luo Yi High School were the elite of Los Angeles City, the brightest minds of the bunch.
When these people came together, they wouldn't make such novice mistakes; they were sure to be well-prepared.
Qing Chen did a rough calculation.
Even if there were only two people in a car, that number would nearly reach that of a consortium's autumn hunt; probably all of Luo Yi High's elite students were in the convoy.
Qing Chen turned to Hu Xiaoniu and asked, "I saw them chatting with you and Tianzhen the day before yesterday. Did they reveal any particular intentions?"
Ever since Wang Jiale divulged the information about Qing Chen to Qi Duo and Zhang Lanjin, these two have been subtlety contacting the people around Qing Chen relentlessly.
Qing Chen had noticed this and, although he didn't know what had happened, he was clear that the other party was trying to get closer to him.
But the problem was, these two were very sly and didn't give Qing Chen a chance to keep his distance; it looked like they planned to build a good relationship with Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen first.
At that moment, Hu Xiaoniu wasn't sure how to continue the conversation from inside the car, mainly because he was uncertain about the identity of the old man and Li Ke in the car -- whether or not they knew they were Time Travelers, whether or not they were aware of their identities.
Qing Chen glanced at Hu Xiaoniu: "We are all our own people here; you can say anything."
The old man said, "That's right, we are all our own here. Go on, speak."
The old man was very curious about Qing Chen's life in the Outer World, and realizing that Hu Xiaoniu was Qing Chen's companion in the Outer World, he planned to dig out some information.
Once Hu Xiaoniu was reassured that Qing Chen was serious, he finally relaxed and said, "I did chat with Qi Duo and Zhang Lanjin a few more times afterward. I didn't get the feeling that they had any clear ambitions; they just want to create a Los Angeles Middle School Time Travelers' Alliance. Of course, they don't just accept anyone now; they're recruiting the best Time Travelers from each middle school. Oh, and Jiang Yichen from our school also joined the Freemasonry and will be heading to the wilderness with them."
Qing Chen was taken aback, Jiang Yichen?
He had speculated that Jiang Yichen might be Lu Ya from He Xiaoxiao's group, considering the timelines; Jiang Yichen's arrival in Los Angeles City coincided with Lu Ya's.
With this assumption in place, it then made sense for Jiang Yichen to want to blend into the Freemasonry Fleet and leave City No. 18 to avoid the limelight.
After all, 'Lu Ya' had stolen the Taboo from Qing Zhong and was facing Qing's Family's pursuit.
However, if Jiang Yichen really was Lu Ya and had indeed stolen the Taboo from Qing Zhong, then this group heading into the wilderness might not be safe.
Even though Mr. Shadow seemed rather indifferent, how could he possibly abandon a Taboo artifact just like that?
The Taboo definitely needed to be recovered.
"The vehicles in the next lane, are they your middle school classmates from the Outer World?" the old man asked curiously, patting Hu Xiaoniu's shoulder, "Kid, what kind of person is Qing Chen in the Outer World? Is he in a relationship? Does he have any enemies? What are his parents like?"
Hu Xiaoniu didn't know how to reply for a moment.
Qing Chen said calmly, "Old man, if you're trying to fish for information, at least avoid me a little bit, will you?"
The old man was displeased, "Can't you indulge an old man's curiosity? Besides, I really want to know what the Outer World is like."
At this very moment, Qing Chen turned his head to find Li Ke with his mouth agape.
The only person on the car who didn't know that Qing Chen was a Time Traveler was him.
The young Li Ke felt that the shocks he had experienced in these two days exceeded all he had encountered in the previous fourteen years.
It was enough to stun him for an entire year!
"Master, you are a Time Traveler?! And you're still in middle school?" Li Ke asked, curious.
"Yes," Qing Chen nodded.
It seemed that everyone in the Inner World found it incredible to know that he was still attending middle school.
Li Ke then turned to the old man, "Grandpa, did you know all along?"
The old man also nodded.
It seemed that he was the only one out of the loop!
The only one kept in the dark!
The old man, beaming as if he were looking at his own grandson, said, "There are many more things you don't know about."
Qing Chen thought for a moment and then said, "Xiao Niu, drive a bit faster. We should reach the first campsite I marked on the map before sunset and follow the route I've planned. Let's try to avoid dealing with the Freemasonry for now, as I now suspect there might be Time Travelers affiliated with Qing's Family among that group."
"Sure," Hu Xiaoniu nodded and pressed down on the accelerator.
Qing Chen looked at the old man, "By the way, what if we really do get stopped by the immigration authorities?"
"Did you really think I just slapped a Qing's Family emblem on the car?" the old man chuckled. "Consortiums also need to prevent impersonation, so those emblems are made of controlled paint with electronic feedback signals from each consortium hidden beneath. Before you even reach the checkpoint, the immigration authorities already know that it's a consortium vehicle approaching."